Safety and Economic Assessment of Converting Two-Way Stop-Controlled Intersections to Roundabouts on High Speed Rural Highways

Authors

  • Shanshan Zhao University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Aemal J. Khattak University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Eric C. Thompson University of Nebraska-Lincoln

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/jtrf.54.1.4279

Abstract

This research addressed two questions: “Are roundabouts on rural high-speed roadways safer than two-way stop controlled (TWSC) intersections?” and “What economic benefits can be expected from converting TWSC intersections to roundabouts in terms of safety improvement?” Crash and traffic data on four TWSC intersections that were converted to roundabouts in Kansas were analyzed using the empirical Bayes before-after evaluation method and crash costs were applied to evaluate economic benefits. Analysis showed that fatal, non-fatal, and property-damage-only crashes were reduced by 100%, 76.47%, and 35.49%, respectively. The annual monetary value from this reduction was between $1.0—$1.6 million in 2014 dollars.

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Published

2015-03-01

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Section

Articles